Hall of Famer Denny Humphrey, a winner of 552 games in 34 seasons as a high school head basketball coach, enters his fifth season as an administrative assistant for the Eagle men's basketball team.
The 1968 graduate of Eastern retired from Cheney High School as a teacher and coach following the end of the 2001-2002 school year. He coached at LaCrosse (four seasons), Chewelah (one season), Ritzville (seven seasons) and his last 22 in Cheney. He was inducted into the Washington State Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame on June 28, 2004, in Spokane.
In 34 seasons as a head coach, Humphrey compiled a 552-275 record and made 15 state tournament appearances (nine as Cheney's coach). Nine times his teams earned state tournament trophies by finishing in the top eight, including runner-up finishes in 1976 with Ritzville and 1997 with Cheney to go along with two other semifinal appearances.
Humphrey played in the State B Tournament for Reardan in 1958 -- the first year the event was played in Spokane where it has remained ever since. After working in Reardan following his high school graduation, he eventually attended Spokane Falls Community College and played basketball for Hank Coplen. He completed his education degree at Eastern.
He coached his oldest son, Jay, at Ritzville, and in his final season at Cheney, coached his youngest son, Rhett, who is now a member of the Eagle basketball squad. Humphrey has also coached against Jay, as well as his own brother, Mark.